Last Updated on July 27, 2023

The beginning 

It was 2014, and I just turned 27. I worked for an insurance company making about $45,000 as a temporary worker. In my spare time, I would work on website ideas and try to get them programmed by programmers in India.

The company

 Then I came across a database of phone numbers online and decided to make a phone book website. It took two months to create. After three months, I got many website visitors a day, and it grew fast.

I was amazed

The website made money even when I wasn’t there, and lots of it. It required very little maintenance except for the occasional person asking me to remove their information. I thought it set me up financially for life.

Silly decisions begun

I quit my regular job without two weeks’ notice. I finally moved out of my parent’s house and got an apartment as big as my parent’s house. I was a successful entrepreneur, after all.

 I had an incredible time buying things I didn’t need from Amazon. I was taking trips all over the country. I even stayed in new york city at a $ 700-a-night hotel in the famous times square. I was surprised when nobody spoke English at the hotel bar.

The crash

My website crashed and got hacked. It was unexpected, event none of my previous websites got hacked. I did know what to do. IT WAS TOO LATE when I finally found a way to fix it. Google algorithms have pinged me. I was losing website traffic quickly and the earnings even quicker. Although I tried for months, I could not recover the website.

Some things I learned from it.

1. Refrain from expecting the money to keep coming in. I wish I had saved and invested some of the money that I was making.
2. Everyone was surprised, so every idea that I had for improving the website was a good one for family and friends.
3. Before you quit your job to pursue a venture, ensure it has an immaculate success rate and has been operational for at least two years.
4. Technology changes, and it changes fast. You are a winner one day and a loser the next.

The conclusion

It was a good experience. I learned a lot, and the money allowed me to do many different things; however, I wish to be more careful with my decisions and created a financial cushion before I quit my job without possibly returning.